Difficult to get on and off main stand.

[bushyb]

Bike is difficult to get on and off main stand.
I have notice the bike is pretty difficult to get onto and off the main centre stand. What could the cause of this be? The bikes front wheel is about 2 inches off the ground when on the main stand. Is the something specific that I should be looking for?

[Big Bamboo]

Is this something new or a continuing problem? There is a certain technique for raising it on the stand. Stand on the foot, not the tang, and pull up and back with both hands. That said, it doesn't hurt to lubricate the pivot pins on occasion and if the rear is even slightly uphill it can be a real bitch.

[orangebear]

i am only 5.8 and 9stone and can get my r100gs on to the centerstand ok .

i stand on the food of the stand and then have my left hand on the bars and my right hand on to the lift handle and then just pop it on to the stand.

what bike is it ????
does it have the right center stand?
have you used the lift handel? it be on the left side of the bike just under the seat.

[chasbmw]

What bike?

[ME 109]

Originally Posted by chasbmw

What bike?

82 RS, Chas.

At best, they are not a user friendly stand. At worst, they are a piece of shit.

Front wheel @ 2'' off the ground is not toooooo bad.
Take it off and check the bushes etc for wear.
While it is on the bike, check for binding/scraping marks and rectify if needed.

[bikerfish]

with use, the stand will wear where it contacts the stops on the frame, allowing it to go too far past center. I've taken them off and had built the area back up with welding, then ground it down to get the proper fit again. takes some trial and error, but once done, the stand will work very nicely. doing that and getting new pivot bolts and bushings, AND maintaining them, will go a long ways in keeping the stand easy to use.

[orangebear]

if the bike is the same size ish as a /7 then check you have the right center stand? as if the stand is to big then it be a pain to get it on.

plus i found my /7 to be easyer then my gs to pop on to the stand.

[More_Miles]

Originally Posted by bushyb

Bike is difficult to get on and off main stand.
I have notice the bike is pretty difficult to get onto and off the main centre stand. What could the cause of this be? The bikes front wheel is about 2 inches off the ground when on the main stand. Is the something specific that I should be looking for?

Originally Posted by ME 109

82 RS, Chas.

At best, they are not a user friendly stand. At worst, they are a piece of shit.

Front wheel @ 2'' off the ground is not toooooo bad.
Take it off and check the bushes etc for wear.
While it is on the bike, check for binding/scraping marks and rectify if needed.

I concur, I have an 83 that is a royal pain. Mine is better, for values of better, since I replaced the worn out stand and bushings with new. I even fiddled with a Reynolds "Ride Off." With all it's problems, I still prefer the stock stand. As far as looking for problems, like ME109 said check to see if the bushings are worn out, and the holes in the stand haven't gone egg-shaped. Both those will make a difficult stand damned near impossible.

[Biebs]

Do not get on you bike while on the Center Stand. Better to get the bike off of Center Stand and then mount - Center Stands are not made for the weight of rider -

Tip to keep Center Stand working better longer!!!!

[ME 109]

Welding the stand to rebuild metal where it is needed is a task that needs to be done with care, so that both sides of the stand are contacting the 'stopper' on the frame.
I put my bike wheels up on 3" high blocks, as well as the side stand. This allowed me to remove and refit the centre stand with ease as I ground the weld metal to exactly where I wanted it.
I increased the width of the welded 'contact pad' to better contact the stopper on the frame.
My stand is now an excellent bmw 'ride-off' stand. Great for when The bike is fully loaded for touring.
I don't care if it wears the bushes etc. I'll fix it again.

[Rob Farmer]

whack the vin into realoem and find out the build date. the 80/81 machines had a unique mainstand. if you fit a later sta nd you end up with the problem you're describing.

[lkchris]

On an '82 RS it's likely the stand is worn.

They never were particularly easy, for sure not as easy as current BMWs.

[bmweuro]

Originally Posted by Rob Farmer

whack the vin into realoem and find out the build date. the 80/81 machines had a unique mainstand. if you fit a later sta nd you end up with the problem you're describing.

I agree.The 83-84 stand was a big improvement. While your at it replace your sidestand bushing with the 83-84 style so the bike doesn't lean over so far.

[ME 109]

Originally Posted by bmweuro

I agree.The 83-84 stand was a big improvement. While your at it replace your sidestand bushing with the 83-84 style so the bike doesn't lean over so far.

A friend with an 83 RS has just finished doing the weld build up thingy. Seems none are immune.

[bmweuro]

Originally Posted by ME 109

A friend with an 83 RS has just finished doing the weld build up thingy. Seems none are immune.

Remember this bikes are almost 30 years old. They do wear down over time.